psorg
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Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 2:46 pm
Location: PA

Meyer Lemon Tree

I brought the meyer lemon tree couple of years ago. Had lemons that first year. Now it only gets blossoms immediately after bringing indoors for the winter. Never blossoms in the spring or summer. Very tiny fruit (smaller than a pea) will appear but then fall off. How do I get lemons to grow?

gumbo2176
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Posts: 3065
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 2:01 am
Location: New Orleans

I've never grown a fruiting tree in a pot but it sounds like your lemon tree is at least a couple years old by now. Are you sure it isn't root bound? I gave this very tree to my Father-in-Law a couple years ago and it is in the ground and produces quite a few lemons each year, and considering the condition of his soil, that is saying a lot.

I see you live in Pa. so putting it in the ground outside would likely be more work than it is worth to try to keep it from dying in the winter.

Again, check to see if it is root bound.

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applestar
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

This is my first year with a Meyer lemon tree. Mine has been blooming for a couple of weeks in the Family Rm (I LOVE the glorious fragrance! :D), and I'm seeing two types of flowers: those with just pollen bearing anthers and those with anthers and a pistil which is the female part of a flower. I've been gently touching the anthers with a soft paint brush to pick up the yellow pollen and transferring them to the pistils to pollinate them, making sure to transfer pollen from one flower to another.

Do you do this also?

The male flowers are starting to drop now so I've been gathering them to dry for my herbal tea blend. The female flowers are starting to brown and I'm being careful not to let the soil get too dry. I haven't fertilized a whole lot but have given it some worm compost tea with molasses and kelp, and have been giving it the used coffee ground dregs water (I dump 2 heaping TBSs of UCGs in the small indoor watering can and fill with water). I also put my kids' unfinished juice in the watering can -- whatever's handy, really :lol:

Honestly? I don't know if these are exactly the right things to do for this tree, but these steps make sense to me. I'll post updates as they develop. :wink:

psorg
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 2:46 pm
Location: PA

Thanks to both of you. Planting outside in PA would probably kill it. I started to hand pollinate this year. Don't quite know if I am doing it right. :? Have not found a video on this. I also have not seen why it blooms in the late fall instead of the spring or summer. :?: :? PA Mountains is a short growing season.



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